Updated March 1, 2022
I get this question frequently from buyers wanting to know if they can raise horses, goats, chickens, and other animals on their property in Olympia, Washington and the surrounding cities in Thurston County.
Here is my step-by-step guide to determining if these animals are allowed on your next property.
Look up the CC&Rs
Many neighborhoods in and around the Olympia area have covenants, conditions, and restrictions also known as CC&Rs that regulate the use of the property. This is the first place I check to see what kind of animals are allowed. Unfortunately, many CC&Rs that I read have a paragraph like this:
“No animals, livestock or poultry of any kind shall be raised, bred or kept on any lot except that dogs, cats, birds or other customary house pets may be kept provided that they are not maintained for any commercial purpose.”
If the property has enforced CC&Rs and you see this paragraph, you won’t be able to raise chickens on your property. Some neighborhoods have CC&Rs that are not enforced and that can be trickier to determine. If there is a homeowner association (HOA), then most likely the CC&Rs are enforced but if there isn’t an HOA, that doesn’t automatically mean you can disregard CC&Rs. I would pose this question to the seller but even then, we still may not get the right answer.
Where Can I Find the CC&Rs?
I’ll need to help you with this as most neighborhoods do not have their own website with the CC&Rs posted publicly. I can get the CC&Rs from the title report and if I don’t have that available, then the title company.
If there are no CC&Rs, then my next step is to research the property’s permitting jurisdiction.
Look Up the Permitting Jurisdiction
My next step is to determine the jurisdiction for permitting; is it city or county? To find this out, I go to my favorite site that is accessible to the public, http://www.geodata.org.
Start with Look Up Your Property and then select Option 2 – Property Information Report.
Once you click on the Property Information Report link and enter the address of the property, it will pull up this page below. You’ll want to scroll down to the Permitting section and look for the Zoning and the Jurisdiction.
If the property’s permitting jurisdiction is COUNTY….
If the property’s permitting jurisdiction is COUNTY as in the example above, look at the Jurisdiction of Influence. In this example, it says LACUGA, which is the abbreviation for the Lacey Urban Growth Area. OLYUGA is Olympia Urban Grown Area and TUMUGA is the Tumwater Urban Growth area.
If the Jurisdiction of Influence is also COUNTY, I do not find any codes prohibiting farm animals (but you may also want to check the zoning and check if there are any restrictions based on the zoning of the property and/or if there are any critical areas. Certain activities that could cause environmental harm in these critical areas would not be allowed.). Here are the ordinances: Thurston County Code of Ordinances.
Tumwater Urban Growth Area
Chickens
From the Thurston County Code of Ordinances for the Tumwater Urban Growth Area:
- Lots 1/4 acre and smaller – up to five female chickens
- Lots 1/4 acre to one acre – up to 20 female chickens
- Lots 1+ acre – up to 20 female chickens per 1/2 acre
Horses
Not allowed on lots less than two acres in size.
Miniature Goats
- Lots 5,000 square feet to 1/4 acre – up to two miniature goats
- Lots 1/4 acre to one acre – up to four miniature goats
- Lots 1+ acre – up to six miniature goats
Please click on the link for the Tumwater Urban Growth Area above for more detailed information and information on other animals such as rabbits, potbelly pigs, and beekeeping.
Lacey Urban Growth Area
Chickens
From the Thurston County Code of Ordinances for the Lacey Urban Growth Area:
- One chicken per 1,000 square feet of lot area, up to ten per half acre.
Horses
Not allowed on lots less than 1 acre.
Miniature Goats
- Lots 7,000 to 1/4 acre – up to two miniature goats
- Lots 1/4 acre to 1 acre – up to four miniature goats
Olympia Urban Growth Area
From the Thurston County Code of Ordinances for the Olympia Urban Growth Area:
Chickens
- Lots 1 acre or less – up to 5 fowl per quarter acre.
- Lots 1+ acres – up to 20 fowl per half acre.
Horses
Not allowed on lots less than 1 acre.
Miniature Goats
- Lots 5,000 square feet to 1 acre – up to two miniature goats
- Lots 1+ acre – allowed 1 additional miniature goat for every additional 1,000 square feet beyond 1 acre.
If the property’s permitting jurisdiction is CITY…
If the property is located within a city’s limit (the permitting jurisdiction is a city), you can visit that city’s website to find the rules.
Here are the larger city’s websites regarding animals.
City of Olympia: http://olympiawa.gov/city-services/neighborhood-programs/urban-agriculture
City of Lacey: hhttps://lacey.municipal.codes/LMC/16.21
City of Tumwater: https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/Tumwater/#!/Tumwater06/Tumwater0608.html#6.08
As of the date of this post, here is a summary of the rules for properties in the city limits and in the urban growth areas for chickens. As you can see, the rules are very similar:
This is just a start to finding out the permitted uses for a property. This is also good information to learn much more about your property, the intended uses, and any restrictions that may affect your enjoyment of the property.
I encourage all my clients to begin their research here but I also strongly recommend my clients follow up with their respective municipalities for clarification.
If you are looking to purchase property in Olympia, WA and the surrounding areas of Thurston County where you can raise horses, goats and chickens, call me today to help you find your perfect homestead for you and your animals!
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